Air-conditioning system

ABSTRACT

An air-conditioning system for a building including a diffuser built into the floor around the periphery of the building&#39;&#39;s exterior walls to supply air whose humidity, temperature, and purity has been precisely regulated into the room. A tapered duct supplies the air to the diffuser for constant flow through the diffuser at every point along the length of its outlet. In one embodiment, the diffuser is formed as part of a concrete slab floor and provides a screed rail for the finishing of this floor. In another embodiment, the diffuser is built into a wooden floor and forms an integral structural part thereof.

United States Patent WilliarnJ.Sebald 5262 Bittersweet Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45429 21 AppLNo. 757,907

[22] Filed Sept. 6,1968

[45] Patented Apr. 27, 1971 [72] Inventor [54] AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM 11 Claims, 17 Drawing Figs.

52 us. c1 98/31, 52/29, 52/303, 98/103 [51] Int. Cl. F24f 7/06 [50] Field of Search 98/31, 37, 103, 101, 114; 52/302, 303 (X), 29 (X) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,194,145 7/1965 Robertson, Jr. 98/40 2,192,567 3/1940 Waugh 98/31X Primary Examiner-William E. Wayn-er Attorney--Marechal, Biebel, French & Bugg ABSTRACT: An air-conditioning system for a building including a diffuser built into the floor around the periphery of the buildings exterior walls to supply air whose humidity, temperature, and purity has been precisely regulated into the room. A tapered duct supplies the air to the diffuser for constant flow through the diffuser at every pointalong the length of its outlet. in one embodiment, the diffuser is formed as part of a concrete slab floor and provid'es a screed rail for the finishing of this floor. In another embodiment, the diffuser is built into a wooden floor and forms an integral structural part thereof.

AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of peripheral diffusers associated with the floor, baseboard, or wall of a room has been common practice for many years. However, this type of system generally does not extend around the entire periphery of the exterior walls and has no means for compensating for the uneven flow along its entire length between the inlet to the diffuser and the outlet thereof. This creates rapid outflow from the diffuser near the inlet and little or no outflow at the portion of the outlet spaced farthest from the inlet to this diffuser. In addition, these diffusers are not structural components of the building and thus consume space adjacent the baseboard making it unsightly and space consuming and/or difficult to lay carpet or other floor coverings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An air-conditioning system formed as an integral part of the building and adapted to provide a maximum number of air changes with minimum velocity by supplying air adjacent the exterior walls. Tapered duct means are provided to supply air to a diffuser which forms an integral part of the structure and which thus provides a predetermined uniform volume of air through the outlet of the diffuser around the periphery of the exterior walls to compensate for various heat loads. The tapered duct is sized and tapered to match the heat loss or gain of the wall along which the diffuser is mounted.

In the preferred embodiment, the diffuser is preformed and installed prior to the pouring of the concrete flooring and provides a screed rail for finishing the concrete. The diffuser itself does not extend above the surface of the floor and provides a continuous slot along the walls for the emission of air. The diffuser is, however, adjustable to balance the design and static pressures and to modify the flow of air emitted at any point along its length. In another embodiment of the invention, the diffuser is mounted in a wooden flooring and forms a structural component thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a building utilizing the airconditioning system in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the supply duct showing the manner in which the air is supplied from an airconditioning device;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. I;

FIG. 4 is another vertical sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an oblique view, partially in section, showing the diffuser before the concrete floor is poured;

FIG. 6 is another sectional view showing the discharge slot after the concrete floor is poured;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the adjustable damper for controlling the air through the discharge slot;

FIG. 8 is another sectional view showing a modified fonn of the diffuser;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken through a modified fonn of the diffuser;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the diffuser mounted in place before the concrete floor is poured;

FIG. I2 is a plan view taken along the line 12-12 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is an isometric view showing the diffuser assembly in a poured concrete floor;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken vertically through the diffuser shown in the FIG. 13 embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view taken centrally through the diffuser in the embodiment of the diffuser adapted for use with a wooden floor;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the reinforcing plates used for the wooden joists; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a bridge element used in the embodiment of FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.

Referring to FIG. I there is shown a building 10 which includes four rooms 11 having the interior walls 12 and I3 .therebetween and the exterior walls 14. Each room has a poured concrete floor I5 and the central air-conditioning device 16 is mounted in the interior of the building for supplying air under controlled pressure, temperature, humidity, and purity which are regulated by suitable automatic controls.

The air-conditioning system includes a diffuser 20 mounted as an integral part of the slab floors l5 and having a discharge slot 22 (FIG. 3) around and adjacent each of the walls 13 and 14 to provide for the flow of air from the air-conditioning device 16 through the supply duct 23 to the rooms 11 and 12. Because the diffuser 20 with the slot 22 extends around the walls 13 and 14, the air flows through the discharge slots at relatively slow speed so that no drafts or unusual air currents are created within the rooms and the occupants thereof are in no way aware of the presence of the air-conditioning system.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, the concrete slab floor 15 is supported around its periphery by the footer 24 which has been dug and filled with concrete and has the concrete blocks 26 built up to the level of the ground 27 on which the sidewalls 14 of the building are constructed. As shown in FIG. 3, the sidewall 14 can include the bricks 28 which have been set in place by a mason, the interior insulating space 29, and the usual 2X4 plate 31 with the vertically extending studs 32. The perimeter insulation 33 is placed adjacent the inside of the concrete blocks 26 on the footer 24' and another row of smaller concrete blocks 35 are layed in place at a given space from the perimeter insulation 33 to support the innermost portion of the diffuser 20 and the concrete slab 15. The interior of the building below the slab 15 includes the usual ground 36 having the layer of gravel 37 being placed thereon immediately below the slab 15 to support the same.

The duct 23 is formed by pouring the space between the perimeter insulation 33 and the inner row of concrete blocks 35 and concrete 38 and gravel 39 fills the duct to a preset level so that the depth of the duct 23 gradually decreases from the connection to the air-conditioning device 16 to the end of the travel of the particular duct. This arrangement is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the initial portions of the ducts A and D extending from the air-conditioning device 16 have a maximum depth and pass through the adjacent portions B and E and with a gradually decreasing depth until they pass to the final portion C wherein the duct 23 actually tapers to almost no vertical dimension. In this manner, the air discharging from the air-conditioning device 16 maintains a constant friction through the entire duct 23 so that a precise volume is available to be supplied through the diffuser 20 to the rooms 11 around the entire peripheral length of the exterior walls. Normally, each room or each zone is supplied by one duct which extends around the periphery of the exterior wall or walls of the room, as shown in FIG. 1. Should air-conditioning be required in a room with no exterior walls, then the air-conditioning would be accomplished, as shown in FIG. 4, with ducts and associated diffusers extending along the: interior walls 13.

When the heat load of the wall is consistent along its entire length, the duct 23 tapers uniformly along its length. However, in the area below a window, door, or other wall space where the heat load deviates from the remainder of the wall, the cross-sectional area of the duct may be changed to increase or decrease the volume of air in these areas to compensate for the unusual heat load. For example, at a window where the heat load is increased, the taper or pitch of the duct 23 is increased to decrease the cross-sectional area of the duct thereby forcing additional air from the duct through the diffuser 20 upwardly adjacent the window to compensate for the increased heat load. In an area where the wall has a decreased heat load, the cross-sectional area of the duct does not decrease at the same rate as the normal wall so that the volume of air leaving the duct at this point is reduced accordingly.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the diffuser 20 itself includes an outer member or body 40 including the vertical section 41 which extends between the upper and lower horizontally extending flanges 42 and 43. The inner member or body 44 is spaced a short distance from the outer body 40 to define the discharge slot 22 and includes the vertical section 45 having the upper horizontally extending upper flange 46 and the lower downwardly tapered section 47 which terminates in a lower horizontal flange 48 whose length is somewhat shorter than the tapered section 47.

The outer and inner bodies 40 and 44 are integrally secured together at their lower ends by the elongated bars 50 which extend from an integral welded connection with the top surface of the lower flange 43 on the outer body 40, through the lower portion of the vertical section 41 thereof, across the duct 23, and through the lower portion of the tapered section 47 to a welded connection to the top surface of the lower flange 48 on the inner body 44. Directly above the bar 50 is a similar bar 52 which extends from welded connections 53 and 54 to the lower surface of the top flange 42 on the outer body 40 through the vertical sections 41 and 45 of the outer and inner bodies 40 and 44 to a welded connection with the lower surface of the upper flange 46 on the inner body, as shown in FIG. 5. These bars 50 and 52 are spaced along the entire length of the diffuser 20, as shown in FIG. 11, to provide sufficient interconnection between the outer and inner bodies 40 and 44 thereby forming an integral unit 20.

The diffuser 20 is mounted in place by placing it directly on top of the two rows of spaced concrete blocks 26 and 35, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and then pouring the concrete slab 15 (FIG. 6) into place to cover the inner body 44 to the level of the horizontal surface 56 on the step member 57. At the same time concrete is poured in the space 58 (FIG. defined by the outer body 40 around the bolts 51 which have been inserted around the lower flange 43 so that the diffuser 20 is locked rigidly in place and forms an integral component of a slab floor 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the diffuser 20 adjacent the interior wall 13 are similarly mounted in position except that the central row of concrete blocks 60 forms a common wall for supporting the outer bodies 40 of both diffusers. Otherwise, the slab l5 and diffusers 20 adjacent the interior wall 13 are essentially identical to the exterior walls 14.

In smoothing the concrete slab once it has been poured, the upper horizontal flange 56 of the step member 57 forms a support for the concrete screed which is utilized to level the concrete in a conventional manner. This step member 57 is provided on the innermost edge of the upper horizontal flange 46 on the inner body 44, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This arrangement greatly facilitates the speed at which the floor 15 can be poured since the use of a temporary screed is not required as in present practice thus eliminating the removal and filling normally required. The flange 56 also supports the carpet pad 62 and the carpet 63 while the vertical wall 64 of the member 57 defines the upper edge of the discharge slot 22 and provides an abutment of the pad and carpet.

An elongated spacer block 65 is secured to the inner edge of the upper horizontal flange 42 on the outer body 40 by the screw 66 to provide a horizontal surface 67 at the same level as the top surface of a carpet 63 to support the molding 68 adjacent the baseboard 69 mounted at the base of the wall surface 71. The inner vertical surface 72 of this spacer defines the upper portion of the discharge slot 22 opposite the surface 64 of the step member 57.

A damper assembly 75 (FIG. 7) is mounted between the outer and inner bodies 40 and 44. Attached to the support block 83 between the upper horizontal flange 46 and the upper horizontal flange 56 of step member 57 is a damper 76 for adjustably regulating the flow of air through the discharge slot 22, as required. This damper is Z-shaped and has a horizontal portion 77 and vertical end portions 78 and 79. The damper 76 has elongated slots 81 (FIG. 12) at each end in the horizontal portion 77 thereof through which the screws 82 pass into the support blocks 83. The rear portion of the damper 76 extends into the space 84 defined by the step member 57 so that the damper can be substantially completely removed from the discharge slot 22. When desired, the screws 82 at the end of each damper section can be loosened and the damper 76 moved forward as desired to lessen the flow of air through the discharge slot 22. It is possible to bring the vertical end portion 78 on the forward end of the damper into engagement with the spacer 65 to completely block the flow of air through the discharge slot 22. It is desirable to completely block the discharge slot 22 during construction of the building to keep construction dirt from falling into the diffuser or duct.

The support blocks 83 are secured to the bars 52 which are mounted at spaced intervals along the length of the diffuser 20. The dampers 76 themselves have a length sufficient only to extend between two adjacent bars 52 so that adjustments can be made in the size of the discharge slot 22 along the entire length of the diff user 20. A screen 86 is provided across the discharge slot 22 to block objects from falling into the duct 23, and this screen is supported on the horizontal surface 87 of the top flange 42 by the spacer 65 and on the upper flange 46 on the inner body 44 by the bracket 88 which is secured thereto.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 8 wherein the spacer 65 is replaced by a combination molding 90 which is secured to the upper flange 42 on the outer body 40 by the elongated screw 91 and thus takes the place of the wooden molding 68 and baseboard 69 shown in FIG. 6. In addition, the vertical wall 64a on the member 57 is shorter than that described so that it is flush with the tile 93 which is secured to the slab 15. A further modified embodiment is shown in FIG. 10 which includes the damper 94 mounted on a J-shaped bracket 95 rather than the support block 83, shown in FIG. 7. This damper includes a horizontal portion 96 secured to the top flange 97 by the screw 98 and a lower portion 99 adapted to be secured in place by the screw 101. Otherwise the damper 94 is substantially identical to the damper 75, shown and described above. In addition, the FIG. 10 embodiment includes round reinforcing bars 52a which replace the bars 52 (FIG. 5) to increase the strength of the structural connection between the diffuser and the concrete floor.

In operation of the invention, once the concrete floor 15 has been poured around the diffuser 20, and the air-conditioning device 16 readied for use, the device 16 supplies the air under the proper pressure, temperature, humidity and purity into the duct 23 which has been tapered along its entire length so that the pressure within the duct is uniform throughout the entire length thereof. The air flows slowly up through the relatively small discharge slot 22 of the diffuser 20 adjacent the periphery of the exterior walls of rooms 11, and then upwardly along the walls to compensate for the flow of heat through the walls and to condition the air within the room. A suitable return air duct (not shown) is furnished for returning the air to the air-conditioning device. The heating contractor adjusts the damper 75 to obtain the predetermined volume of air within the room or to correct any problems of balancing that may occur within the system, so that the room is uniformly airconditioned. The difluser 20 forms an integral and important structural component of the slab floor 15 which facilitates the smoothing of the concrete slabs since it forms a screed support.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 13 wherein the-diffuser 20a is adapted for use with a concrete floor 150 which differs from the concrete slab floor 15 in that it does not rest directly on the ground. In this embodiment, the difiuser 20a is supported on the I-beam joists which are utilized to support the concrete floor 15a in the usual manner by supporting the corrugated metal 106 upon which the floor is poured. The lower horizontal flanges 43 and 48 of the inner and outer bodies 44 and 40 are supported directly on the upper surface 107 of the l-beam joist and the concrete 15a poured in place in the usual manner with the surface of the step member 57 serving as the screed support to facilitate finishing the concrete surface.

The duct 23a is formed from sheet metal and is tapered along its length to provide a uniform pressure to the discharge slot 22 regardless of the distance from the air-conditioning device. Accordingly, this embodiment is substantially identical to that described above except that the diffuser 20a is mounted on the l-beam 105 rather than on the rows of concrete blocks 26 and 35, and the tapered duct 23 is formed of sheet metal rather than between the rows of concrete blocks. It may be desirable to provide an adapter 108 between the duct 23a and the diffuser as shown in FIG. 14 wherein the lower edge 109 of the sidewalls are U-shaped and adapted to receive the upper peripheral edges 111 of the duct 23a to secure the same in place in a fluidtight manner. This enables the duct to be easily inserted in place after the diffuser 20a has been placed in position around the various l-beam joists 105 and after the floor has been poured.

Referring to FIGS. and 17 another embodiment of the diffuser b is shown adapted for use in a wooden floor consisting of horizontally extending joists 120 mounted on the top plate 121 supported by the studs 122. The metal sideplates 124 are secured by suitable connectors 125 to the opposite sides of the joists 120 around the cutout 126 therein which is adapted to receive the tapered discharge duct 23b. These plates 124 are formed as a unit (FIG. 16) and have a downwardly extending inner wall 127 connecting the sideplates and defining the rear side of the cutout. The walls 127 also support the T-shaped members 128 including the flange 129 which extends over the top upper portion of the wall 127 and the transverse portion 130 which extends across the discharge slot 22b to a rigid connection with the U-shaped inner body Mb. This body receives the subflooring 131 between the horizontal walls 133 with the underlayment flooring 134 and finished flooring (not shown) being mounted thereabove. Otherwise the diffuser 44b is substantially identical to that described above. The flanges 135 are provided on the plates 124 to secure them to the header 136, and further reinforce the joist 120 which has had the cutout 126 made therein for the tapered duct 23b.

It is possible for the ducts 23 to taper either in a vertical direction or in a horizontal direction so long as the crosssectional area gradually decreases to maintain a uniform pressure throughout the length and thus supply a uniform flow to the discharge slot. The embodiment shown in FIG. 15 is otherwise identical to that described above and thus many of the components have been given common reference characters.

The invention has thus provided an improved airconditioning system wherein the uniform flow of air is supplied through a discharge slot along the exterior walls of a room. The diffuser forms an integral part of the structure of the building and facilitates the smoothing of concrete in one embodiment. In all of the embodiments, it provides for an adjustable damper to regulate the volume of air flowing through the discharge slot and for abutment means for the finish floorings.

Moreover, the invention provides for ease in zoning of the air-conditioning in that each room can be individually controlled through the use of dampers in the central air conditioning unit 16 thereby allowing efficient use of the airconditioning system and providing savings to the home owner due to reduced cost of operation. The system also provides for high-volume air-conditioning which is almost draft free since a regulated aiistream is flowing adjacent each of the exterior walls for total wall blanketing. In addition, there is maximum air movement for total purification of the air due to the frequent change of the air, and the entire system is completely hidden in the floor for improved appearance.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

. lclaim:

1. An air-conditioning system for a building having a poured concrete floor and a plurality of exterior walls, comprising a source of conditioned air, a supply duct extending from said source and including an elongated discharge portion extending below the top of said floor and continuously adjacent at least one of said exterior walls, an elongated diffuser extending within the floor substantially directly above said duct and parallel to said one exterior wall, said diffuser including inner and outer panel members disposed in laterally spaced relation to define a discharge slot extending substantially continuously along said one exterior wall and from said duct through said floor to produce an upward flow of conditioned air continuously along :said one exterior wall, and means disposed at longitudinally spaced intervals along said diffuser for rigidly connecting said inner and outer panel members and for forming structural ties between said floor and said one exterior wall.

2. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein an adjustable damper is mounted on said diffuser and is adapted to slide across said discharge slot to vary the rate of flow through said slot.

3. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 2 wherein said adjustable damper includes a slide, a support for said slide, and means connecting said slide to said support for horizontal movement of said slide across said discharge slot.

4. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said supply duct is tapered so that its cross-sectional area gradually decreases from said source to produce a substantially constant flow of air along the entire length of said slot in said diffuser.

5. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser includes an abutment wall adjacent said slot adapted to have the floor covering abut'ted thereto.

6. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said duct is defined between parallel rows of concrete blocks and has a bottom surface which slopes downwardly toward said source.

7. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of longitudinally disposed adjustable dampers are mounted on said diffuser adjacent said discharge slot to provide for varying the flow rate of air through said slot at longitudinally spaced intervals.

8. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer members of said diffuser each includes vertically spaced horizontal flanges, and said lower flanges are effective to position said diffuser so that said upper flanges are positioned substantially flush with the top surface of said floor.

9. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprise longitudinally spaced sets of upper and lower bars.

10. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser and said slot extend substantially continuously around all of the exterior walls of said building.

11. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser has a flat horizontal surface on the inner member thereof, and said floor has its corresponding exterior peripheral edge supported by said diffuser with said horizontal surface serving as a screed rail for smoothing the concrete. 

1. An air-conditioning system for a building having a poured concrete floor and a plurality of exterior walls, comprising a source of conditioned air, a supply duct extending from said source and including an elongated discharge portion extending below the top of said floor and continuously adjacent at least one of said exterior walls, an elongated diffuser extending within the floor substantially directly above said duct and parallel to said one exterior wall, said diffuser including inner and outer panel members disposed in laterally spaced relation to define a discharge slot extending substantially continuously along said one exterior wall and from said duct through said floor to produce an upward flow of conditioned air continuously along said one exterior wall, and means disposed at longitudinally spaced intervals along said diffuser for rigidly connecting said inner and outer panel members and for forming structural ties between said floor and said one exterior wall.
 2. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein an adjustable damper is mounted on said diffuser and is adapted to slide across said discharge slot to vary the rate of flow through said slot.
 3. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 2 wherein said adjustable damper includes a slide, a support for said slide, and means connecting said slide to said support for horizontal movement of said slide across said discharge slot.
 4. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said supply duct is tapered so that its cross-sectional area gradually decreases from said source to produce a substantially constant flow of air along the entire length of said slot in said diffuser.
 5. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser includes an abutment walL adjacent said slot adapted to have the floor covering abutted thereto.
 6. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said duct is defined between parallel rows of concrete blocks and has a bottom surface which slopes downwardly toward said source.
 7. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of longitudinally disposed adjustable dampers are mounted on said diffuser adjacent said discharge slot to provide for varying the flow rate of air through said slot at longitudinally spaced intervals.
 8. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer members of said diffuser each includes vertically spaced horizontal flanges, and said lower flanges are effective to position said diffuser so that said upper flanges are positioned substantially flush with the top surface of said floor.
 9. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprise longitudinally spaced sets of upper and lower bars.
 10. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser and said slot extend substantially continuously around all of the exterior walls of said building.
 11. An air-conditioning system as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser has a flat horizontal surface on the inner member thereof, and said floor has its corresponding exterior peripheral edge supported by said diffuser with said horizontal surface serving as a screed rail for smoothing the concrete. 